Point of No Return
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: What will happen when one NCIS agent goes missing? Will he be past the point of no return? Or will he live to see another day?
1. Too Late

Point of No Return

Chapter 1

Too Late

Simple. The assignment was **_so_** simple. Tony was supposed to go undercover as a man looking to buy guns and a few explosives in the harbor dock. NCIS knew there were at least three men involved in selling guns as well as possible explosives.

Tony was playing it cool. He was wired so Gibbs, Ziva and McGee could hear what was going on. Tony walked like he was talking a mere stroll on the dock. Tony approached a warehouse that was near the dock. He walked inside.

Tony saw three men. "I know a friend. He said you could get me some stuff." Tony said calmly.

"What kind of 'stuff'?" One of the men asked cautiously.

Tony gave a little smile. "You know…guns? Explosives?" Tony said.

Another man shook his head. "We don't do that stuff. That's illegal." The man said.

Tony gave them one of his million dollar smiles. "Aw come on! Who are you fooling? My friend got a few massive guns here _and_ a load of dynamite." Tony said.

The three men exchanged glances. "Check him!" One man ordered curtly.

Two men approached Tony. "Hey, hey! Is this necessary?" Tony asked in a slightly panicked voice. "I'm clean."

"I'll be the judge of that." The man said firmly.

Tony kept his cool on the outside, but on the inside he was panicking. They would feel the wires! He would be discovered! As the men patted Tony down, he did the only thing he could think of. He started giggling. "That tickles!" Tony said in-between forced giggles.

The two men nearly leapt away from Tony. "Ugh! That's not right!" One man said.

"He's clean!" Another announced.

Tony sighed inwardly. He had saved his cover. "What are you looking for fag?" A man asked who Tony guessed was the boss.

"A few automatics." Tony said. "And as I've said before, a few sticks of dynamite."

The boss nodded. "Alright. We can do that." The boss said. "How much do you have?"

"How much do you want?" Tony asked smiling.

The boss smiled widely. "Boys, I think we're in business." The boss said. "Get the stuff."

The other two men scurried away.

----

Gibbs heard all he needed to hear. "Move in," Gibbs ordered.

The SWAT team would take care of the arrest now.

----

Tony paced lightly in the warehouse. As he did, his coat folded back slightly. That's all it took. The boss saw the butt of a gun. The boss pulled out a gun. "Don't move or else I'll shoot you!" The boss growled.

Tony froze instantly. "Slowly get the gun out and put it on the ground." The boss ordered.

Tony slowly moved to his gun holster.

----

"Get in there!" Gibbs practically yelled. "Get out of there DiNozzo!"

Gibbs was trying to get the SWAT team to hurry in. Ziva and McGee covered their ears.

----

Tony got his gun. "Don't try anything funny." The boss said. "I'm a much better shooter than you."

_Wanna bet? _Tony thought. Tony carefully crouched down and hesitated letting go of the gun. He knew SWAT would be in soon.

Tony took too long though. The boss noticed. He shot Tony's left shoulder. "Ah!" Tony screamed letting go of his gun and falling backwards.

Tony quickly recovered and grabbed his gun with his right hand. Tony shot back, but missed.

There was suddenly an outburst of fire. Tony was shooting at the boss and the boss was returning fire. It only got worse when the two other men started shooting. Tony ducked behind a large wooden crate. "Boss, I need help in here. I've been shot!" Tony shouted into the wire.

----

Gibbs heard Tony perfectly well; he just had a hard time sitting still. He knew SWAT was going to open the large steel door that was almost like a door to a hanger.

----

"Boss, I'm out of ammunition!" Tony said panicked.

----

"Hold on Tony, SWAT's on their way in!" Ziva said.

----

"Why aren't you shooting? Are you out of ammunition?" A taunting voice asked and Tony knew it was the boss.

Tony closed his eyes. There are times when you have this sudden feeling like your sinking and there's nothing you can do about it. This was one of those times and Tony knew he would not come out in good health.

"Come out! Come out wherever you are Special Agent!" The boss shouted.

----

"How do the men know he's a Special Agent?" McGee asked.

"I don't know." Gibbs snapped.

----

"Give up your gun!" The boss shouted.

Tony opened his eyes. "Boss, what do I do?" Tony asked like a frightened child.

"_Hold on." _Gibbs's voice answered gently.

Tony didn't even hear the rest of what Gibbs said because gunfire drowned the noise. Tony noticed the gunshots weren't at him. The sounded far off. Tony looked quickly in front of the crate.

Tony saw the boss standing over the other two men. The other two men were dead in large, red pools of blood.

The boss walked over to Tony with his gun raised. "There's a van on the other side of this warehouse. Get in it." The boss ordered. "I'll be right behind you."

Tony saw the face of the barrel of the gun. It somehow brought him the courage he needed to say a simple, but powerful word. "No." Tony said.

"Get in it now!" The boss shouted pushing Tony with the barrel of the gun.

Tony was forced to get into the back of a black van.

SWAT broken in, but before NCIS could get them, they tore off in the van.

It was too late.


	2. Lost Track

Chapter 2

Lost Track

Tony clawed at the back of the van. There was no way out. Everything was hard cold metal.

----

"Follow that van!" Ziva shouted at the driver of NCIS's unmarked van.

The driver compiled and tore off after the black van. It became a full blown chase complete with shots fired to blow the air out of the tires.

----

Tony heard gunshots. The van twisted and turned every direction forcing Tony to slam into the hard walls.

"_DiNozzo, can you hear me?"_ Gibbs voice asked loudly.

"Yeah boss." Tony grumbled.

"_DiNozzo, I repeat, can you hear me?"_ Gibbs asked even more loudly.

Tony repeated his answer finding that his wire had somehow broken. The pain in his shoulder escalated to the point where he couldn't move his left arm.

He was in real bad shape.

----

The van that Tony was in took several turns and many twists going down several streets until it disappeared. "We lost them." The driver said shortly.

Gibbs slammed his hand on a table in the back of the van and swore.

McGee and Ziva watched silently.

----

For the first time in years, Tony felt scared. No, he felt terrified. He didn't know if he was going to live or die, but he knew he would probably not make it out alive. Tony wanted nothing more than to awake in his own warm bed finding that this was just an awful nightmare. Tony knew this wouldn't happen.

Tony knew that Gibbs also wouldn't ever stop looking for him. This brought Tony newfound courage and hope, although it wouldn't last long. Tony tried to think of Ziva, McGee, Abby and Ducky to make him feel better, but it only made him feel worse.

Tony noticed that the van had stopped swerving and was now driving at a normal speed. Tony knew this meant that Gibbs had lost track.

To Tony, this meant losing hope.

----

"Did anyone get a license plate number?" Gibbs asked walking into HQ.

McGee shook his head. "There were no license plates." McGee informed him.

"We don't know much about the three men other than two are dead." Ziva said. "We're working on IDing them to see if they can lead us to the man who took Tony."

"Work quicker," Gibbs growled leaving the room angrily.

It was supposed to be so simple.

----

Eight Hours Earlier 

"_So tell me, do you like brunettes or blondes?" Ziva asked causally looking through a file. _

"_Why?" Tony asked cautiously. _

"_I just want to find out so I can add it to my 'DiNozzo File'. It's good blackmail." Ziva said calmly. _

"_You know blackmail is illegal." Tony said. _

_Ziva nodded. "I know." Ziva said. "I just like to make you squirm. Why would I have a 'DiNozzo File'?" _

_Tony shook his head. "This conversation is confusing." Tony noted. _

_Ziva smiled slyly. "Really?" Ziva asked mysteriously. _

_Tony gave her an odd look. "I'm going to go now." Tony said walking away from his desk. _

----

Present 

Ziva and McGee walked into Abby's lab. "Do you have anything?" McGee asked.

"Not yet." Abby said quietly.

The three of them stood in silence.

There was a beep on Abby's computer. Abby turned quickly as if she had been struck by lightening. "We've got a hit off one of the guy's prints!" Abby said excitedly.

They may have lost track of the van, but they were on a new track.


	3. Dead End

Chapter 3

Dead End

"Who is it?" McGee demanded.

Abby looked at her computer confused. "Um…" Abby said slightly stunned.

"What is it?" Ziva asked.

Abby shrugged. "It's just the fingerprints on one of the John Doe's came back Special Agent Ronald Marker. He worked for the FBI." Abby said.

Ziva looked at the screen. "An FBI agent. What is the world coming to?" Ziva asked.

There was another beep and Abby looked at the screen. "This one is a junkie. He was in jail for five years for possession of coke and a lot of other nasty stuff." Abby said printing off the results and handing them to McGee.

"So why do an FBI agent, a junkie and a mystery man all sell guns and explosives?" Ziva asked looking at the ceiling.

Abby laughed uncontrollably. "What?" McGee asked vexed.

Abby looked nervous. "Sorry it just sounds like the beginning of a bad joke." Abby said quietly.

"It's not funny." McGee informed her.

Abby nodded. "I know, but I'm just really worried about Tony." Abby said softly.

"We all are." Ziva said taking the papers and walking out of the room.

----

Two Weeks Previously

"_That was a nice thing you did Tony." Ziva said quietly sitting at her desk._

_The office was empty except for Tony and Ziva. "What did I do?" Tony asked. _

"_You offered your number to that girl that had been beaten." Ziva said. _

"_So?" Tony asked. "I give out my number a lot." _

_Ziva smiled. "Yes, but this is different. You wanted to help her." Ziva said. _

"_It's not her fault her life is ruined because of the jerk marine." Tony said quietly. _

_Ziva nodded. "Night Tony," Ziva said as she gathered her things and left the office. _

----

Present

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me that an FBI agent, a junkie and another guy have been running this operation right under everyone's noses?" Gibbs asked.

McGee nodded. "We're trying to find out who the mystery guy is by running background checks on Donald and the junkie to see if any names jump out on both of their background checks. So far, nothing." McGee informed him.

One Week Later

"Jethro, it's been a week. You've made no progress in finding Special Agent DiNozzo. We need someone to work the cases around here." Jenny said quietly.

"Are you just going to give up?" Gibbs asked angrily.

Jenny looked at the floor. "Of course not, but let's face it. After a day, Tony probably was killed. We need Ziva, McGee and you on your cases. If I get even a whisper of a lead, I'll tell you ASAP." Jenny said softly.

Gibbs shook his head. "Tony's out there injured and you just want to quit!" Gibbs shouted.

"I'm sorry Jethro, but you've hit ten dead ends too many." Jenny said firmly.

Gibbs left Jenny's office in a rage. Tony was out there alive and Jenny just wanted them to stop looking and to act as if nothing happened. Tony was waiting for them.

----

Tony looked around at his surroundings. He was in a basement. His shoulder was now killing him. It hurt more than anything Tony had ever felt. It hurt more than when Kate didn't escape with him and live happily ever after, but Tony wouldn't tell anyone of his fantasy of Kate…especially now Kate was dead.

Tony's kidnapper had left him in the basement and took off in his van a few hours ago. Tony's kidnapper had no intention of returning and was probably in Mexico eating hot peppers.

Tony knew he couldn't live more than three days without water. His captor had been slightly merciful by leaving an 8 oz cup of water. It wouldn't last long.

"Oh Gibbs, where are you?" Tony muttered before blacking out again.

A/N- Sorry it took so long to update. I've been really busy with school. I hope you like this chapter!


	4. Memories

Chapter 4

Memories

By day two of being alone in the basement, Tony knew he was going to die. It was obvious. He wasn't going to be saved. He would just be missing from the work place. Every once in a while, they would try to follow up leads, but after years, they would assume he was dead (which by then he would be). They would never get closure. They would never have a body to bury. Tony would just be eternally lost.

This caused Tony to think of a quote his father had once told him when Tony had been afraid of the shadows of death.

_To live in the hearts we leave behind,_

_Is not to die. _

_ Campbell_

Now, Tony oddly didn't fear death. After working with NCIS for so many years, he learned that death was a part of life. Tony did feel that he was being robbed. He had so much more time to live. It wasn't fair it was being taken away from him.

Moment from Tony's Childhood

"_Thank you Tony. I've enjoyed spending time with you." Marie, Tony's first girlfriend, said shyly. _

_Tony smiled. "Me too," Tony said grinning ear to ear. _

_Marie's parents picked her up in front of Tony's house. Hours later the phone started ringing. Tony knew something was wrong. That's when Tony's father approached him. His face looked grim. "Son, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Marie's parents and Marie were in a car accident…" _

_Tony's father kept talking, but Tony only heard the word 'dead'. It changed his life forever. _

_Death changed his life. _

----

Present 

McGee was working hard on the recent case Gibbs had given him, but found his eyes wandered to Tony's desk. McGee set down the case file and walked into Abby's lab. "Hey Abby," McGee greeted rather sadly.

"Hey McGee," Abby said sadly.

No one ever seemed too happy these days. Tony always lived things up. Without him, things were dead. They were dead. "Do you think Tony is alive?" McGee blurted out.

Abby sat down. "I don't know." Abby said quietly.

"That's what's so frustrating! We don't know anything!" McGee said angrily.

"Let me tell you about the first time I met Tony…" Abby began.

Years Ago

_A young Goth girl walked down the hall. She carried this punk attitude with her that was simply terrifying. A young man walked up to her. "Hey, I hate to tell you this sweetie, but the freak circus is in the other building. This is NCIS." Tony said smiling. _

_The girl gave him a dirty look. "I know where I'm at. I'm Abigail Sciuto. I'm the new lab tech." Abby said extending her hand. _

_Tony shook it, but then quickly let out. "Ouch!" Tony shouted. _

_Abby smiled. "What was that?" Tony exclaimed. _

"_That was an electric shock. I don't like being called a freak." Abby said brushing past Tony. _

"_Nice meeting you too," Tony muttered shaking his head. _

----

Present

McGee smiled. "I remember the first time I met Tony. Every day after he's called me 'Probie'." McGee said.

Abby looked at him. "You are a probie though." Abby stated.

McGee shrugged.

----

Gibbs started at the waste basket. Tony. That was the only thing on Special Agent Gibbs's mind. Tony had been so much like him when Gibbs first started. It brought back memories.

The past was still fresh in his mind as if it were yesterday.

----

Tony thought about everyone. Tony was feeling weak and he knew that his gunshot wound was probably infected. Not that it would matter because he didn't have enough water.

Tony propped himself against a wall. He thought about everything that had happened since he first stepped foot into NCIS. So much had happened in so little time.

_Yesterday is but a memory and tomorrow is a dream. Yet tomorrow, I'll be just a memory. _Tony thought glumly as his health was fading quickly.

Tony started slipping into unconsciousness immersing himself in memories.


	5. Dreams

Chapter 5

Dreams

_They stood over his casket. They were silent. They were dressed in black that was blacker than the blackest night. One of them was shedding tears. It was Ziva. Abby soon joined her in her tearful parade. _

_A man stood in silence and without emotion by the casket. He felt grief and guilt beyond words. It was all his fault. The case was a simple one. Maybe if he had done something different everything would be fine. Gibbs stared at the casket. It was his fault. _

_McGee wanted nothing more than to hear Tony's taunting voice call him 'probie' on last time. McGee enjoyed Tony's outgoing behavior even though McGee was more of a silent loner. _

_The casket was lowered into the ground. Dirt was piled on top of it. Tony was soon to be six feet under. _

----

Gibbs didn't even remember shouting. McGee was shaking him hardly. "Boss, boss!" McGee said fearfully.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked sleepily.

"You fell asleep at your desk. You screamed something and I just thought I would wake you up." McGee said quietly.

Gibbs was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do. "Don't wake me up again." Gibbs barked.

"Yes sir," McGee said going back to his desk.

----

_There was a giggle. Tony knew that giggle. He searched frantically in this empty, white world. Tony ran trying to find the source of the giggle. He found Kate sitting on the floor smiling. "You found me." Kate said pleased. _

"_I did?" Tony asked surprised. _

_Kate nodded smiling. "But you're too young to find me." Kate said sadly. _

"_What?" Tony asked. _

"_It's not your time to die." Kate informed him. "What happened?" _

_Tony shrugged. "I was undercover and then I was shot, kidnapped and kept in a basement. Am I dead?" Tony asked. _

_Kate shrugged. "Sort of." Kate answered. _

"_Sort of?" Tony asked confused. _

"_I want you to go back. I want you be with Abby, McGee, Gibbs, Ducky and that crazy Ziva. Please don't stay." Kate begged. _

"_Why not? I could be with you." Tony asked. _

"_There's a time for everything. It's not your time to die." Kate said quietly. _

_Tony smiled. "I'll go back…if I can have one last dance." _

_Kate smiled. "It's just like you to be hitting on me when you're about to die." Kate said laughing. _

_Tony and Kate danced to no music without a care in the world. It was rather romantic, but at the same time sad. It would be their last time together. "Goodbye Tony. I never got to tell you, but I love you." Kate said disappearing into a thick fog and her voice echoed. _

"_Kate!" Tony called desperately. "Kate!" _

----

"Kate…Kate…" Tony muttered.

Tony awoke suddenly. "Kate?" Tony asked looking around noticing he was still in the basement.

He felt a bit stronger than before. He knew the wooden door was bound to be locked and it would probably be too hard for such a weak man to break down. Tony stood up. He would have to try.

Tony threw his entire body weight at the door. He didn't stop trying to knock down the door, but it was just too hard.

Tony sank down to the floor sobbing.

He was going to die.


	6. No Return

Chapter 6

No Return

One Week Later

"Have you ever heard of a point of no return?" Jenny asked Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded. "It's when someone doesn't return. Tony's going to return." Gibbs said confidently.

"Gibbs, he's past the point of no return. Tony's dead." Jenny said firmly.

"He's still alive." Gibbs said equally as firm.

"Why hasn't he called? He wouldn't be held captive for so long. Only children are held for long periods of time. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo is deceased." Jenny said.

Gibbs didn't even try to fight with her logic. She had made several good points.

----

A man in rags stumbled into NCIS. He staggered over to Tony's desk. "Excuse me, can I help you?" Ziva asked watching the man carefully.

The man looked deep into Ziva's eyes. Dirt, blood and sweat covered his body and face, but Ziva could tell. McGee and Gibbs looked at the man in wonder too. "Do…I…look that…bad?" A weak voice asked as the body swayed.

"Tony?" McGee asked cautiously.

"Yeah Probie?" Tony asked quietly.

Tony swayed and collapsed to the ground. "Get Ducky!" Gibbs ordered.

McGee followed Gibbs's orders and ran to find Ducky. Gibbs and Ziva kneeled next to Tony. Ducky was next to Tony within minutes. "Did someone call 911?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs nodded. "I did." Gibbs said.

Ducky looked over Tony critically. "My dear Anthony what am I to do with you?" Ducky muttered.

"What's wrong with him?" Ziva asked.

"He's dehydrated, malnourished, possible broken ribs as well as a broken arm and of course the gunshot wound. There's more damage, but I can't say for sure. He's lost a lot of blood." Ducky said.

The paramedics quickly arrived and loaded Tony onto a stretcher. Ducky explained what he could before the ambulance roared down the road.

Jenny watched the ambulance go down the road. "I told you he was alive." Gibbs said coldly. "If we kept looking, he might not be in such a bad condition."

Jenny walked inside ignoring Gibbs.

----

"Tony was pretty lucky. He's doing fine. He just has a few broken bones, he's dehydrated, malnourished, he lost a lot of blood, the gunshot wound and other lacerations and abrasions." The doctor said.

Gibbs, McGee, Ziva, Abby and Ducky all let out sigh of relief. "Can we see him?" McGee asked.

The doctor nodded and led them into a small room. Tony laid on the bed. He looked almost asleep. "Tony?" Abby asked softly.

"Yeah?" Tony asked opening his eyes.

Abby hugged him. "Ouch!" Tony gasped.

Abby let go of him. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry! I forgot! I was just so happy to see you…" Abby said babbling on.

Tony smiled. "It's alright. I didn't need that rib anyway." Tony said.

"What happened?" Ziva asked.

"We did that undercover thing that failed miserably. I was kidnapped. The guy kept me in this basement for a week. He fed me then, but then he left. He left me a glass of water. Now the human body cannot go three days without water so I drank it slowly hoping it would last me a while. After it was gone, I pretty much figured I was dead. I became unconsciousness. You'll never believe me if I told you, but I had this dream…" Tony began quickly.

"I would believe you." McGee said.

Tony nodded. "Kate was there. We were talking and she wanted me to live because of you guys. I woke up and I couldn't stop thinking about all of you. Like the first time I met Abby. By the way, how come I see you I end up in pain? Anyway, I tried to bust down the door, but I didn't get it down on the first time. I tried for hours. It finally came down. The little cabin was in the middle of the forest. I spent the past week walking through the forest in circles. Eventually, I made it to NCIS." Tony said.

"That's amazing." Ducky said. "How long did you go without water?"

"About two days. After I knocked the door down, I found some water in the cabin. I drank it all which was stupid because I threw up." Tony said laughing.

Two Weeks Later

"Tony, Ziva, McGee, we've got a homicide in a navy base…" Gibbs growled.

Tony had been at the point of no return. He should not have returned, but there are a few before him that have returned. If you want to live, fight it until the death.

Then you shall be at the…

Point of No Return

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS


End file.
